Poems for children to recite, read aloud and perform

1 Produced by Primary English Education Consultancy, 2015 Poems for children to recite , read aloud and perform Compiled by Rachel Clarke, Director: Primary English Produced by Primary English Education Consultancy, 2015 Poems to read aloud in preparation for Mr Gove's new curriculum. It is a statutory requirement in the the National Curriculum for Key stages 1 and 2 that children learn to recite Poems from heart. Reading 'performance poetry' is not new and in fact many of the rhymes, songs and hymns we sing in school can be construed as poetry recited from heart. This collection of Poems has been compiled to assist teachers in finding suitable Poems for this purpose. Some are classic Poems , others are more contemporary all of them are suitable for children to perform and read aloud . Learning to retell a poem from memory is challenging and with this in mind the selected Poems have been chosen for their use of rhythm and rhyme.

2 The collection of Poems has been organised into three sections: KS1, lower KS2 (Y3/4) and upper KS2 (Y5/6). This ensures that there is progression in content, style and length of Poems but also flexibility for schools to choose when they use the Poems selected. This is not an exhaustive collection; it is a guide to support teachers in choosing Poems to recite . Personal choice is really important, if you love a poem and you think it would work as a poem to learn by heart then use it. Your enthusiasm will come through your teaching and inspire children to learn the poem. Some longer Poems such as The Highway Man have been left out of the selection, as it was thought that these were already being used in school and where this is the case these Poems should continue to be used. Rachel Clarke, Director Primary English Education Consultancy Limited. Produced by Primary English Education Consultancy, 2015 KS1 The Morning rush Into the bathroom, Turn on the tap. Wash away the sleepiness Splish!

3 Splosh! Splash! Into the bedroom, Pull on your vest. Quickly! Quickly! Get yourself dressed. Down to the kitchen. No time to lose. Gobble up your breakfast. Put on your shoes. Back to the bathroom. Squeeze out the paste. Brush, brush, brush your teeth. No time to waste. Look in the mirror. Comb your hair. Hurry, scurry, hurry, scurry Down the stairs. Pick your school bag Up off the floor. Grab your coat And out through the door. John Foster The Witches' spell Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. Fillet of a fenny snake In the cauldron boil and bake; Eye of newt, and toe of frog, Wool of bat, and tongue of dog, Adder's fork, and blind-worm's sting, Lizard's leg and owlet's wing, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell-broth, boil and bubble. Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. William Shakespeare (from Macbeth) Produced by Primary English Education Consultancy, 2015 On the Ning Nang Nong On the Ning Nang Nong Where the Cows go Bong!

4 And the Monkeys all say boo! There's a Nong Nang Ning Where the trees go Ping! And the teapots Jibber Jabber Joo. On the Nong Ning Nang All the mice go Clang! And you just can't catch 'em when they do! So it's Ning Nang Nong! Cows go Bong! Nong Nang Ning! Trees go Ping! Nong Ning Nang! The mice go Clang! What a noisy place to belong, Is the Ning Nang Ning Nang Nong!! Spike Milligan Cats Cats sleep Anywhere, Any table, Any chair, Top of piano, Window-ledge, In the middle, On the edge, Open drawer, Empty shoe, Anybody's Lap will do, Fitted in a Cardboard box, In the cupboard With your frocks Anywhere! They don't care! Cats sleep Anywhere. Eleanor Farjeon Produced by Primary English Education Consultancy, 2015 Daddy Fell into the Pond Everyone grumbled. The sky was grey. We had nothing to do and nothing to say. We were nearing the end of a dismal day. And there seemed to be nothing beyond, Then Daddy fell into the pond! And everyone's face grew merry and bright, And Timothy danced for sheer delight.

5 'Give me the camera, quick, oh quick! He's crawling out of the duckweed!' Click! Then the gardener suddenly slapped his knee, And doubled up, shaking silently, And the ducks all quacked as if they were daft, And it sounded as if the old drake laughed. Oh there wasn't a thing that didn't respond When Daddy fell into the pond! Alfred Noyes The Small Ghostie When it's late and it's dark And everyone shhh shhh, Into our kitchen A small ghostie shhh shhh shhh. We hear knocking and raps And then rattles and taps, Then he clatters and clangs And he batters and bangs, And he whistles and yowls And he screeches and So we pull up our covers over our heads And we block up our ears and WE STAY IN OUR BEDS Barbara Ireson Produced by Primary English Education Consultancy, 2015 Song of the Train Clickety-clack, Wheels on the track, This is the way They begin the attack: Click-ety-clack, Click-ety-clack, Click-ety, clack-ety, Click-ety Clack. Click-ety-clack, Over the track, Faster and faster The song of the track: Click-ety-clack, Click-ety-clack, Clickety, clackety, Clackety Clack.

6 Riding in front, Riding in back, Everyone hears The song of the track: Clickety-clack, Clickety-clack, Clickety - clickety, Clackety Clack. David McCord Sampan Waves lap lap Fish fins clap clap Brown sails flap flap Chop-sticks tap tap Up and down the long green river Ohe Ohe lanterns quiver Willow branches brush the river Ohe Ohe lanterns quiver Waves lap lap Fish fins clap clap Brown sails flap flap Chop-sticks tap tap Tao Lang Pee Produced by Primary English Education Consultancy, 2015 Year 3 and Year 4 Slowly Slowly the tide creeps up the sand, Slowly the shadows cross the land. Slowly the carthorse pulls his mile, Slowly the old man mounts the stile. Slowly the hands move round the clock, Slowly the dew dries on the dock. Slow is the snail but slowest of all the green moss spreads on the old brick wall. James Reeves. Bed in Summer In winter I get up at night And dress by yellow candle-light. In summer, quite the other way, I have to go to bed by day. I have to go to bed and see The birds still hopping on the tree, Or hear the grown-up people's feet Still going past me in the street.

7 And does it not seem hard to you, When all the sky is clear and blue, And I should like so much to play, To have to go to bed by day? Robert Louis Stevenson Ducks' Ditty All along the backwater, Through the rushes tall, Ducks are a-dabbling, Up tails all! Ducks' tails, drakes' tails, Yellow feet a-quiver, Yellow bills all out of sight Busy in the river! Slushy green undergrowth Where the roach swim Here we keep our larder, Cool and full and dim! Every one for what he likes! We like to be Produced by Primary English Education Consultancy, 2015 Heads down, tails up, Dabbling free! High in the blue above Swifts whirl and call We are down a-dabbling Up tails all! Kenneth Grahame The door Go and open the door. Maybe outside there's a tree, or a wood, a garden, or a magic city. Go and open the door. Maybe a dog's rummaging. Maybe you'll see a face, or an eye, or the picture of a picture. Go and open the door. If there's a fog it will clear. Go and open the door.

8 Even if there's only the darkness ticking, even if there's only the hollow wind, even if nothing is there, go and open the door. At least there'll be a draught. Miroslav Holub The River The River's a wanderer, A nomad, a tramp, He never chooses one place To set up his camp. The River's a winder, Through valley and hill He twists and he turns, He just cannot be still. Produced by Primary English Education Consultancy, 2015 The River's a hoarder And he buries down deep Those little treasures That he wants to keep. The River's a baby, He gurgles and hums, And sounds like he's happily Sucking his thumbs. The River's a singer, As he dances along, The countryside echoes The notes of his song. The River's a monster, Hungry and vexed, He's goggled up trees And he'll swallow you next. Valerie Bloom Gran Can You Rap? Gran was in her chair she was taking a nap When I tapped her on the shoulder to see if she could rap. Gran can you rap? Can you rap? Can you Gran? And she opened one eye and she said to me, Man, I'm the best rapping Gran this world's ever seen I'm a tip-top, slip-slap, rap-rap queen.

9 And she rose from the chair in the corner of the room And she started to rap with a bim-bam-boom, And she rolled up her eyes and she rolled round her head And as she rolled by this is what she said, I'm the best rapping gran this world's ever seen I'm a nip-nap, yip-yap, rap-rap queen. Then she rapped past my Dad and she rapped past my mother, She rapped past me and my little baby brother. She rapped her arms narrow she rapped her arms wide, She rapped through the door and she rapped outside. She's the best rapping Gran this world's ever seen She's a drip-drop, trip-trap, rap-rap queen. She rapped down the garden she rapped down the street, The neighbours all cheered and they tapped their feet. She rapped through the traffic lights as they turned red As she rapped round the corner this is what she said, I'm the best rapping Gran this world's ever seen I'm a flip-flop, hip-hop, rap-rap queen. She rapped down the lane she rapped up the hill, And she disappeared she was rapping still.

10 I could hear Gran's voice saying, Listen Man, Listen to the rapping of the rap-rap Gran. I'm the best rapping Gran this world's ever seen I'm a - Produced by Primary English Education Consultancy, 2015 tip-top, slip-slap, nip-nap, yip-yap, hip-hop, trip-trap, touch yer cap, take a nap, happy, happy, happy, happy, rap-rap-queen. Jack Ousby Jim There was a Boy whose name was Jim; His Friends were very good to him. They gave him Tea, and Cakes, and Jam, And slices of delicious Ham, And Chocolate with pink inside And little Tricycles to ride, And read him Stories through and through, And even took him to the Zoo But there it was the dreadful Fate Befell him, which I now relate. You know or at least you ought to know, For I have often told you so That children never are allowed To leave their Nurses in a Crowd; Now this was Jim's especial Foible, He ran away when he was able, And on this inauspicious day He slipped his hand and ran away! He hadn't gone a yard when Bang!